Lauren Tom
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1978–present | spouse = Curt Kaplan (1999–present) | agent = Imperium 7 | website = }} Lauren Tom (born August 4, 1961)http://www.birthdatabase.com/query.php Lauren J Tom, 1959-08-04, Los Angeles, CA is an American stage, film, television and voice actress. Her roles include Lena St. Clair in The Joy Luck Club, Julie in the NBC sitcom Friends, and the voices for both mother and daughter characters on two animated TV comedy series: on Futurama she voiced Amy Wong and her mother Inez, while on King of the Hill she voiced Minh and Connie Souphanousinphone. Early life Lauren Tom was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Nancy (née Dare) and Tom Chan, Jr. who worked in the frozen food business. Her grandfather Tom Y. Chan was a businessman and a leading supporter of the Kuomintang in the United States, and helped raise money for both Sun Yat-sen and General Chiang Kai-shek. Her uncle was also a businessman and an influential civic leader. In an article for Detour magazine Tom described how being teased as a child about her Chinese heritage made her introverted and is what originally inspired her to study dance.[http://laurentom.com/articles_detour.htm Article from Detour Magazine] Accessed 7 February 2010 Theatre At the age of 17, Tom landed a spot with a touring company of A Chorus Line and was cast in the Broadway production of the show less than a year later.[http://laurentom.com/articles.htm Article from In Style Magazine] Accessed 7 February 2010 She won an Obie Award for her Off-Broadway acting and was cast in the Broadway shows Hurlyburly and Doonesbury. Film Tom had several small roles in movies including Nothing Lasts Forever, Wall Street, See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Blue Steel. Her biggest role up until that point was as a waitress in the Robin Williams/Tim Robbins film Cadillac Man. This role led to being a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Tom landed a lead role in the film The Joy Luck Club in 1993, which led to roles in such other films such as When a Man Loves a Woman and North. Since the mid-1990s, Tom has focused her work, primarily, in the voiceover business. She has appeared appeared in a few live action films, including the 2003 comedy Bad Santa and the critically acclaimed 2004 film In Good Company. Television Lauren Tom's first role in television was that of Miko Wakamatsu on The Facts of Life. She subsequently appeared on The Equalizer, Catfish With Black Bean Sauce, thirtysomething, Quantum Leap, Chicago Hope, Homicide: Life on the Street, Grace Under Fire, Friends, The Nanny, The Middle, DAG, The Division, Monk, My Wife and Kids, Barbershop: The Series, Grey's Anatomy, The Closer and Men in Trees. She had an acting role in a bonus feature on the Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder DVD. In 2012, she also had a supporting role on the 8th season of the drama series Supernatural as prophet Kevin Tran's mother, Linda Tran. Voice acting Tom began vocal work in the animated series Superman: The Animated Series playing Angela Chen. From there on, she voiced Dana Tan in Batman Beyond and had minor roles on Pinky and the Brain, Extreme Ghostbusters, The Zeta Project before landing her regular roles on King of the Hill, where she voiced Minh and Connie Souphanousinphone and later Futurama, where she voices Amy and Inez Wong. She has also lent her voice to All Grown Up!, Rocket Power, Max Steel, Handy Manny as Mrs. Lee and Nelson, Samurai Jack, Johnny Bravo, Justice League Unlimited as Dana Tan, Kim Possible and Legion of Super Heroes. From 2002-2008, Lauren Tom played Numbuh Three (Kuki Sanban), Numbuh Three's mother Genki, and Numbuhs 44 and 45 on Codename: Kids Next Door. She has also voiced the villains Gizmo and Jinx on Teen Titans, Yan Lin, Susan, Alchemy on W.I.T.C.H., Tasumi on The Replacements, Jake's mom, Counselor Chang on American Dragon: Jake Long, and as Joo Dee on Avatar the Last Airbender. She also guest-starred in The Penguins of Madagascar as Chuck Charles's co-anchor, Bonnie Chang, in "Gator Watch" and "All Tied Up With a Boa". Recently in 2010, she did the voice of Bai Li and Ming on the animated series, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness and also played the role of Jessica in the animated film, Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare. Other animated movies Tom has voiced include Mulan II, Kim Possible: The Secret Files, Kim Possible Movie: So The Drama, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker and the four Futurama movies: Bender's Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs, Bender's Game and Into the Wild Green Yonder. She voiced Li Li Stormstout in World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria. Filmography References External links * * * Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Chicago, Illinois Category:American film actors Category:Chinese American actors Category:American stage actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Obie Award recipients Category:20th-century American actors Category:21st-century American actors